One in 10 Bromley pupils are regularly missing school, according to the Government.

Data released by the Department of Education (DoE) show thousands of days worth of teaching has been missed in the last two years because of missing students.

According to the DoE, 10 per cent of state secondary pupils in Bromley were classed as “persistently absent” in the autumn 2017 and spring 2018 terms, meaning they missed at least one in 10 classes.

When primary schools in the area are included, nine per cent of pupils across the 94 state schools were persistently absent.

It comes as schools around the country lost more days to absences than previous years.

In Bromley 213,000 days of teaching have been lost because of absent pupils.

Bromley Council said regular attendance by most pupils is very good.

A spokesman said: “The importance of regular attendance at school cannot be overstated.

“There is a strong correlation between regular school attendance and children’s educational progress. It is also an important factor in keeping children safe.

“The law requires parents to ensure their children are provided with a suitable education, either by attending school regularly or by electing to educate them at home.

“The majority of Bromley schools are academies – independent from local authority control – but we still work closely with head teachers in all our schools to ensure that any long-term absence is fully investigated.

“Where appropriate, the local authority does take action and will issue penalty notices and ultimately take court action if necessary.”

Local councils can impose fines of £60 on parents who fail to ensure their children’s attendance at school, rising to £120 if not paid within 21 days.

The spokesman said: “Though persistent absence rates are very low in Bromley, well below national rates, we take attendance issues very seriously.

“This term we are working with Bromley police on a series of ‘truancy sweeps’ in town centres.

“These take place during the school day and any children out of school and not with their parents will be returned to school.”